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Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Festival Visitors and Music Enthusiasts!

It is my special pleasure to invite you to the 39th edition of our wonderful festival dedicated to the recorder and its music in the beautiful surroundings of Bad Kissingen – welcome!

As tradition dictates, it all begins on Ascension Day; we welcome our guests on May 9, 2024, and are thrilled to share the spaces of the Regentbau in the Franconian World Heritage site of Bad Kissingen with you for four days. We look forward not only to experiencing the venue but also enriching it with beautiful music, exquisite instruments, and lively exchanges. These beautiful gems allow us to fully enjoy events ranging from small recitals and chamber music concerts to a grand music exhibition, providing new auditory experiences.

I do not exaggerate when I promise you the very best acoustic conditions for our festival. The Rossini Hall allows us to experience music extraordinarily and delicately, and in the Erlöserkirche, music becomes a sensual experience of the highest class. The exhibition takes place in the Max-Littmann-Saal, and the distribution across additional rooms makes trying out instruments more focused and quieter in the exhibition spaces. Moreover, there is the opportunity to retreat to rooms and peacefully test an instrument or engage in discussions with like-minded individuals.

This year, once again, we have decided to expand our traditional recorder festival in line with our motto, “Old Music in a New Guise,” by introducing exciting themes and formats in intimate settings.

In this spirit, I am pleased to introduce our festival artists for 2024: Dorothee Oberlinger, Yeuntae Jung, Max Volbers, Sebastian Wienand, Alexander von Heißen, Tabea Wink, Jiyeon Bang, Simon Borutzki, the Flautando Köln ensemble, and Sarah Jeffery.

We are delighted that, alongside classical formats such as recitals and chamber music concerts, we will once again experience innovative formats with you:

Following the great success last year, on Friday and Saturday evenings, we present two Late Night Events that could hardly be more different and fascinating: Friday evening focuses on the theme of communication, delving into conversations with Telemann and van Eyck, as well as an exchange with aliens in Moritz Eggert’s spectacular work. Saturday evening features the 2023 MOECK SRP Prize winner Jiyeon Bang, showcasing her repertoire of early music.

Traditionally, on Thursday, the Intrada opens the festival – your opportunity to participate in the Bad Kissingen Recorder Orchestra and make music together with like-minded individuals under the direction of Simon Borutzki.

The next day, the Max-Littmann-Saal opens its doors, transforming into the centerpiece of the Trade Fair & Exhibition for musical instruments, inviting you to linger, browse, try out, and make purchases.

As in previous years, we conduct the master class on Friday morning with four public lessons for all of you. On Saturday morning, a new format awaits you: “Team Recorder” comes live to Bad Kissingen!!! We are very excited to have Sarah Jeffery for a talk and concert.

On Friday afternoon, Max Volbers and Alexander von Heißen take you into the vibrant life of London with their new program “Foreign Masters.” On Saturday afternoon, Dorothee Oberlinger, Maurice Steger, and Sebastian Wienand take you on a “Grand Tour.” This Baroque journey begins at 3:30 PM with a concert introduction and an interview with a special guest!

In the two evening concerts, Yeuntae Jung guides you on a journey through the Bach family and the musical transformation from recorder to traverso, while Flautando Köln immerses you in the eternal struggle between good and evil – light and darkness.

On Sunday morning, the Musical Church Service takes place in the Erlöserkirche.

We hope that this diverse, colorful, and varied program will inspire you, and we look forward to welcoming you to our concerts!

As you have come to expect from us last year, we have worked with the excellent organization of the music exhibition and our entire team to ensure the highest level of safety for trying out instruments, staying on the festival grounds, and attending concerts.

I look forward to presenting to you the most interesting recorder players and ensembles, as well as exhibitors eager to share their instruments and new releases with you, and performers and musicians of today. I am excited to experience the Recorder Festival with you – the place where we all come together to celebrate, enjoy, exchange ideas, and be inspired by the incomparable atmosphere, sounds, beautiful instruments, and valuable connections.

See you in May,

Warm regards,
Yours Maurice Steger